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The Heart Scan Authority

Featured in New York Times Special Section "Heart Disease, from Cause to Cure"

In a goal to provide readers with a state-of-the-art review of the most recent insights into the dangers and causes of heart disease, and significant advances in the detection and treatment of the problem, Inner Imaging was the only scanning facility featured because of its unique patient-centric services.

Inner Imaging is the only scanning facility in the country affiliated with a major heart institute, the Continuum Heart Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center/Mount Sinai. All of Inner Imaging's Cardiologists and Radiologists are from the Heart Institute, and Inner Imaging can provide the full resources of the institute to its patients should it be necessary.

Reprinted here are excerpts from the New York Times special section interview with Dr. Thomas Killip, M.D., former director of the Continuum Heart Institute at Beth Israel Medical Centers, and Albert E. Barrette, Managing Director of Inner Imaging.

New Scanner To Predict Heart Attack Risk.

New York Times

Medical researchers are constantly looking for new ways to determine an individual's risk for heart disease. One method that is attracting a great deal of attention is the technique of scanning the coronary arteries to detect calcium. "Research has shown that the more calcium in the arteries, the more likely a person is to suffer a heart attack," said Thomas Killip, M.D., former director of the Continuum Heart Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York. EBT has the ability to predict heart attacks 95% of the time.

"Calcium plays an important role in atherosclerosis. As plaque begins to thicken and harden the artery, calcium becomes part of the buildup and we can measure it to determine the degree of atherosclerosis."

EBT Heart Scanning: the most advanced early detection methodology To accomplish this, the Continuum Heart Institute recently formed an affiliation with Inner Imaging LLC, which will provide state-of-the-art scanning services to the Institute's patients using the Imatron Ultrafast Electron Beam Scanner. The EBT scanner takes a series of high-resolution images of the heart. A computer reconfigures these multiple images and displays them on a computer monitor. Physicians then examine the images for flecks of calcium in the areas where the three major coronary arteries are located within the heart.

Increasing calcification is a marker of atherosclerosis. A non-invasive procedure The procedure requires no needles, no dyes, no discomfort. Another advantage of the EBT scanner is the revolutionary approach to cardiac imaging through its speed compared with the conventional spiral CT (computed tomographic) equipment, which relies upon mechanical rotation of X-ray tubes.

Imatron: the Gold Standard of EBT scanners Albert E. Barrette, Inner Imaging's Managing Director, explained: "Unlike the slower spiral CT scanner, an Imatron EBT scanner (such as the one at Inner Imaging) can capture calcium in a clear, sharp image and is capable of observing small changes (progression)." The new technology will play an important role in prevention, according to Dr. Killup. People who have a family history of heart disease, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle or other risk factors may complete a scan to detect lesions of plaque before they impede blood flow to the heart. "People who are worried about their risks will be able to start a program of prevention," he said. "The EBT scanner also will be useful in monitoring treatments because we will be able to tell if they are working."